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Politics : Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Kerry -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lorne who wrote (65822)	8/25/2005 7:29:30 PM
From: lorne	Respond to of 81568

Protesting mother back at Crawford Sheehan returns as opposing camp gains momentum By JULIE MASON Houston Chronicle Aug. 25, 2005 chron.com CRAWFORD - With singing and tears, protest mom Cindy Sheehan returned to her vigil near President Bush's ranch Wednesday, less than a week after leaving to care for her ailing mother. Alighting with an armful of flowers from a van that brought her from the airport, Sheehan's first act on returning was to find the cross with her son's name on it amid dozens set in the ground at her new campsite. "Does anybody know where Casey's cross is?" Sheehan said. She placed the flowers, then joined other mothers of fallen service members for a group hug. Rick Burnley, a New Mexico poet with bare feet and long, salt-and-pepper hair, played a Jethro Tull song on a soprano recorder while a small clutch of women sobbed and hugged Sheehan. "This is the center of the world," Burnley said. Asked later how it felt to be back at "Camp Casey," Sheehan gave two thumbs up. Her supporters, who have dwindled significantly in numbers during her absence, are hoping that Sheehan's return will rejuvenate their anti-war effort by bringing more attention back to Crawford. Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq, is demanding a meeting with Bush so he can explain his statements that the war is a noble cause. She is vowing to remain at her encampment near the Western White House until he meets with her or returns to Washington. In downtown Crawford, meanwhile, another grieving parent is gaining attention. Gary Qualls, a Temple man whose son, Louis, was killed in Iraq, came to Crawford as a protest to Sheehan's protest. A soft-spoken veteran and Bush supporter, Qualls is presiding over an orderly series of tents dubbed "Fort Qualls" behind the Yellow Rose gift shop. "I am here to bring back and keep respect for fallen heroes and for President Bush," Qualls said. Opposition on the way Of his counterparts at Camp Casey, Qualls said, "It's more than apparent they have come here to wage war against decent people." This weekend, a caravan of demonstrators opposed to Sheehan's vigil are due to arrive in Crawford from San Diego. The "You Don't Speak for Us, Cindy" tour is expected to bring at least 10,000 more demonstrators to this tiny ranching community. Gregg Garvey, whose son, Justin, was killed in Iraq, drove up to Crawford from Florida and pulled into town on Tuesday. He and Qualls have both retrieved from Sheehan's camp the memorial crosses bearing their sons' names. "It didn't make me feel good that my son's cross was sitting in a ditch," Garvey said. The two crosses joined those of several others whose parents also objected to Sheehan's memorial, in a small patch of dirt in front of the Fort Qualls tent. Dueling protests The two dueling protests have grown intensely hostile, with each side sharply criticizing how the other has chosen to grieve. Much of the back-and-forth has centered on the hundreds of small white crosses that Sheehan's camp built as part of their anti-war protest. Qualls, who has challenged Sheehan to a debate, grows teary and emotional when describing his shock on learning his son, a Marine, was killed in Fallujah. "The people on this side are righteous," Qualls said of his supporters and those in town to show support for Bush and the troops. "I have to stand up for what's right." Barry Crimmins, a writer for the liberal radio network Air America, has been covering the Sheehan vigil and said he believes her efforts are serving as a "flashpoint" for a growing, national anti-war effort. "They've turned Bush's vacation home into Baghdad airport," Crimmins said.

To: lorne who wrote (65822)	8/25/2005 7:54:09 PM
From: sea_biscuit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81568

The conservative counter-demonstrators carry signs reading "Troops out when the job's done" What is the definition of "job done"? Right now, there is going to be a Shia theocracy in Iraq with far fewer rights for women than under secular dictator Saddam. So, are we at least halfway there now?! ;-)

To: lorne who wrote (65822)	8/25/2005 11:25:00 PM
From: paret	Respond to of 81568

In 2001, Benjamin was asked about anti-war protesters sympathizing with nations considered to be enemies of U.S. foreign policy, including the Viet Cong and the Sandinistas. "There's no one who will talk about how the other side is good," she reportedly told the San Francisco Chronicle.